Ridge-pole splice for tents



(No Model.) W

G. A. CORNELL. RIDGE POLE SPLICE FOR TENTS.

No. 465,921. Patented D60. 29,1891;

g' a i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

GEORGE A. CORNELL'OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

RIDGE-POLE SPLICE FOR TENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 465,921, dated December 29, 1891.

Application filed September 5, 1891. $eria1No.404,899. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. CORNELL, of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ridge-Pole Splices for Tents, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, whereby any one skilled in the art canmake and use the same.

The object of my invention is to provide a device by means of which two tents may be placed with their ridges in line without requiring more than a single tent-pole at the line of juncture of the ridge-poles; and my invention consists in details of the several parts making up the device as a whole and in their combination, as more particularly hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the frameworkthat is, the tent-posts and the ridge-poles of two tents placed in line. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view on enlarged scale, showing the ridge-splice.

In erecting a tent by the use of devices that were in existence prior to my invention it was the custom whenever a tent was to be provided with a fly, or two tents were to be put in line with each other, to use a double set of tent-poles at each juncture of the ridgepoles as a means of supporting the latter, and

this brought two tent-poles close to each other in such position that when a fly was provided in front of a tent the end of the ridge-pole rested against the outside canvas of the tent in such position as to make it practically impossible to close the front of the tent and fasten the flaps properly.

Afurther objection resided in the wearing of the end of a tent-pole against the front of the canvas at the peak of the tent, which soon wore a hole through the canvas and frayed it.- In addition to this there was a difiiculty of keeping the two ridges in alignment, as no means existed for connecting the upper ends of the tent-poles.

In order to obviate these objections I provided a ridge-pole splice, and in the accompanying drawings the letter a denotes the ridge-pole of a tent; b, a tent-pole, the latter being provided with a pin a, projecting from the upper end of the tent-pole and adapted to pass through a hole a in the end of the ridge pole a and also through a hole in the canvas forming the tent. The canvas forming the roof of the tent is stretched over the ridgepole, the end of the pin 0 passing through the hole d in the canvas.

In the practice of my invention a plate or strip of metal, preferably of iron cast to shape, forming 2. splice e, is provided, this splice having at about midway of its length an offset e, the two branches of the splice extending in opposite directions from the opposite ends of the offset and usually in planes parallel to each other. In one of the branches of the splice there is formed a hole c of sufficient size to enable the pole-pin c to pass through it, while the other branch bearsa similar pin e which is adapted to pass through a hole in the ridge-pole f, that rests upon and is supported by the lowerbranch of the splice.

In case a fly is to be secured to the front of a tent, the latter at the center of the roof is engaged with the pin 0 by slipping the latter through a hole in the fly, and the latter is then extended to the front and supported on the ridge-polef in the usual manner.

By means of this improvement but a single tent-pole is required to support the adjacent ends of the ridge-pole, and a practical and continuous ridge-pole is formed by uniting two separate ridge-poles by means of the splice made, as described, and connected to the several parts, as specified.

As but one pole is required, it leaves the front flaps of the tent, or of two adjacent tents, free from any obstruction, so that they may be readily fastened by means of the ties which are provided at each end of the slit.

I claim as my inventionr 1. As an improved article of manufacture, a tent-splice formed with two branches extending in opposite directions from the opposite ends of an offset portion, and one branch provided with a hole for a tent-pole the one branch having a tent-pole-pin hole, pin and the other branch provided with a pin, and the other branch bearing a pin, all sub 10 all substantially as described. stantially as described.

2. In combination with a tent-pole having 5 a pin, a ridge-pole having an opening for the "lrEORGE A. CORNELL.

passage of a pin, and a tent-pole splice com- Witnesses: prising the two branches oifset from each CHAS. L. BURDETT,

other and extending in opposite directions, A. B. JENKINS. 

